Well, first and foremost: Yes, I'm still alive. We've gotten a lot of letters wondering where the "Draggin' Thru" column has gone, but have no fear; we've just been trying to make room for a few changes that I've got coming your way. If you haven't noticed yet, this issue might feel a little heavier, and that's because it is. We've managed to do the impossible (again). This issue is 116 pages (16 pages more) and this is only the beginning. Starting next issue we will officially have made your favorite magazine 32 pages bigger to make room for all the new and exciting ideas constantly brewing through the minds of your crazy editors. Yup, that's right. We just keep pulling an ace from our sleeve to make Mini Truckin' the best it's ever been.
Well, enough about the magazine stuff. It seems that with the lapse of my column you guys are curious about what I've been up to. It's been super-crazy around here because show season just picked up and in the middle of all that the wife and I have managed to finally buy our very first house. Now, let me tell you that in southern California this is no easy task, so we've really been blessed and are now committed homeowners living the Top Ramen and mac & cheese life to the fullest. You know what this means (besides being even more broke than before)? A garage of my very own! So as soon as I get time to breathe we'll begin to build a true mini-trucker's garage, while the wife plays house and decorates our place with all kinds of plants and who-knows-what-else (HAHA). And like all other facets of life, being the crazy mini-trucker that I am and having the kind of crazy friends around all the time that I do, we've already talked all kinds of crap about shaving the dryer handle and putting it on a remote. There have even been rumors about a custom-built BBQ out of a body-dropped truck in the backyard with a CNC-cut grill. Yup, the buddies and I are really going to be pissing Ashley off at every corner. (She hated the HID lights we put in our outside porch lights.) But, hey, that's what its all about, right? At least now we finally have a place for the toolbox (besides for the bedroom), and a place to park the mini-truck project of the month, the bike, and all the other junk we've accumulated over the last 20 years. And having our own place we get to spend more time together, which is worth every last cent.
Another major project that's been occupying way too much of my time lately has been the tow pig. Yeah, I know it's not a mini-truck but the Titan has been screaming for some love, and the boys over at our sister publication Truckin' helped me finally get her going. We just finished up the CST 8-inch lift on Nitto 35x20s and she is lookin' mighty fine now. So in between the magazine, the house, the 1,000 projects going at once, and an occasional nap, things are the same as always: BUSY (but in a good way). So have no fear, my fellow draggers. With the 32 new pages coming your way every month you'll never have to wonder again if those loan sharks I got mixed up with to try and finish my trucks came after me and "collected." Just remember, slow and steady wins the race. So in my case, I've gotten the slow part down pat (HAHA). But if all goes well I might get one of the infamous projects done before I have my first little mini-trucker running around the house. We'll see...L88888888888!